bulldog in the sand
by originalgaijin
Summary: A young Marine is brought to add Gibbs team on a high proority case involving an Iraqi mass murderer. His arrival causes friction with one particular member of the team. This is the start of my little AU story


A few quick things

1. jenny isnt dead she retired and let Vance take over NCIS

I dont own anything excpet my charace Jonathan Barclay

if i accidently use something you wrote tell and I'll give you credit iear so much fanfiction recently I forgot what was real and waht wasnt

She may have been gone just two weeks with a personal leave of absence but the office that Ziva David walked into was almost foreign to her now. In the bullpen next to Gibbs desk sat an extra desk with a Marine furiously typing way and grumbling to himself. Ziva was curious as to who he was as no one ever beat her to work in the morning. He took a glance from his computer at her looking up and down then returned to his work and his increasingly angry muttering.

I'm Officer Ziva David, and you are? She asked walking to his desk and putting down her backpack.

He suddenly rose from his desk and stood at attention "Morning Gunney"

Gibbs strolled past the two on the way to his desk. Acknowledging the Marines salute with a simple raising of his morning coffee. Putting his SIG and badge into his desk draw. He looked up quickly to acknowledge Ziva presence.

"Any luck with that tip last night?'

"Not a damn thing Gunney it's starting to piss me off" the Marine grunted to him. Hitting his hands against the desk as the thoughts of last night returned to his thoughts.

"How did you hear him? Ziva asked shocked that someone could hear Gibbs coming into the bullpen.

"It's Marine thing Ziva how are you feeling?" interrupted Gibbs

"Fine Gibbs can I be told as to what is going on and who is he?"

Rising from his desk in a very formal manor he reluctantly walked over to her

"I'm Lieutenant Jonathan A. Barclay Marine Intelligence. This is Joint -Ops between NCIS and the Marine Intelligence." It's pleasure to finally meet you. Now just keep up and will be fine"

She finally got a good look at him. The tall thin muscular shaved head Marine commanded her attention. He wore black heavy glasses over his dark brown eyes with tan olive brown skin in his fresh crisp clean uniform. That all added to the air around him that she hadn't found in they average Marine she had run into. His ruff demeanor added to his overall impact on her. He was unlike anyone she had meet before. She liked what she saw

He stood in front of the plasma arms crossed and serious, but she caught the quick glance he took of her as she turned to walk back to her desk. She smiled to her self it made her feel good to have the attention of this mysterious Marine Lt. Barclay.

"So were has our boy gone?" Gibbs interrupted

"He's gone to ground to hide that little bastard but I'll get him gunny"

"I know you will but you still got to get some idea of were he is first"

"Morning all" McGee offered as he walked into the bullpen. Then he caught the mood of the room. "Oh I see" He saw the looks on the Lieutenants face and Gibbs. "No luck last night then?"

"Not a damn thing, a waste of a night on a dead end lead McGee"

"Well look on the bright side"

"What bright side McGee? We have a genocidal madman walking around freely and we can't find him?"

"Well 'um' struggling for words to save himself for his predicament

"Give it up Probie there's is no pleasing Lieutenant Grumpy until he gets his daily fix of blood. I thought you would of figured it out by now" Tony said with some distain as he strolled into the bullpen on time.

"DiNozzo it's nice to see you on time for once, wait"

"SAVE IT! The two of you! That's an order" Barked Gibbs from his desk

"Yes Gunney' Right Boss"

"Can some one tell me what is going on?

He's name is Ali Fulani former Iraqi General and mass murdering bastard. He's personally responsible for torture, rape and murder of something around 3200 Iraqi civilians. I chased him for the better part of a year as part of multi department taskforce to seek out those individuals who committed atrocities under Saddam's regime. Before he slipped over the border into Iran and disappeared. A week and a half ago he appeared crossing the border from Canada into the United States and has since disappeared again. I was sent from Iraq to coordinate his death

"Capture" interrupted Gibbs

"I have orders that say dead or alive Gibbs. I have my personnel choice. He wont make it out of my sights again"

"Again?" asked Ziva looking up at they intense look in Barclays face.

"Yeah we tracked him to a village a few miles from the Iran Iraq border. After a daylong firefight with a few of his men I finally had him in my cornered in this farmhouse. He tired to run me over with an armored Mercedes he had hidden in the village. He just drove way as I put a full mag of ammo from my M4 carbine into his car and he just drove away that bastard. I've been hunting him ever since.

She noticed him reach down and clutch his left thigh as he went threw his speech. He was intense and focus. He reminded her of herself when she first arrived at NCIS. And of Gibbs

After days and hours of fruitless searching the team sat around the bullpen on a Friday night, each one more tired and grumpy then the next.

"Anyone got plans for tonight?' McGee ventured into the tension filled room.

"Well don't all speak at once'

"Tonight Probie there is a marathon of they classic James Bond's with they immortal cool Sean Connery'' DiNozzo doing his best Bond Impression

"DiNozzo what happened to James Bond wife in the first James Bond movie?"

Ziva head to spun to see they Lieutenant glaring at Tony with a 20-dollar bill in his hand.

"Ha-ha I see the trap your laying for me but I wont fall for it. James Bond had a wife at the end of "In Her Majesties Service" and she was killed. But it isn't technically considered or known by most Bond fans to be a Bond film. Ha Ha pay up sucker"

"Good job DiNozzo now I'd give you it except it's against regs for a Marine on duty to gamble so I'm not giving it to you.

"Barclay" A very unhappy Gibbs barks as he looks up from the paperwork on his desk. " Your right. It's against the regs. Gibbs raises from his desk and walks over to Lt. Barclay and takes the 20 bucks from his hand followed by a slap to the back of the head." I'm going to take this since I would have to hate to write you up for breaking the regs.

"Thank you gunny"

"And' uttered a still cross Gibbs

"It wont happen again gunny' he was rubbing the back of his head to ease the sting

"See that it doesn't' a slight smile comes to Gibbs face

"Hhahahahahhahahhahahaha McGee, Tony and Ziva bust into laughing at the situation. All the stress and long hours in those fleeting seconds melt away into a little exhausted joy.

"Go home all of you' barked Gibbs "you cant do anymore get some rest"

As they all packed there things and chit chatted on there way to the elevator Ziva looked over her shoulder to see the Lieutenant standing in front of Gibbs saluting him one last time.

"Night gunny"

McGee and Ziva stood watching Gibbs and Lt, Barclay interrogate a possible informant as to the location of Ali Fulani.

"He's so agonying' Ziva whined

"Who Lt. Barclay? Sure the guys intense but he's going after a major criminal. I would have a chip on my shoulder to if I was him" offered McGee

"But he's so arrogant in the way he does things its agonies me"

"Oh no no no. I get it. You and Tony are both mad because the Lieutenant gets to do all the fun stuff with Gibbs that you guys normally do and your left with all the boring work. Like I normally get"

"NO McGee that's not it at all"

"Really" crossing his arms daring Ziva to prove him wrong.

"No, Yes, Can we please change the subject" She was obviously flustered by the situation and its lack of resolution

"How are you and Tony doing?'

"What do you mean"?

"Well after that whole thing with Jeanne, you were taking a leave of absence. You two don't even tease each other anymore."

"I don't know he's different now he's not the Tony we use to know"

"Yeah I've noticed"

"He's just the shell of himself. The jokes are there but he's not anymore."

"Give him time Ziva he'll comeback'

" How much more time do I have to give him McGee?"

The slight crack in the door to the hallway closes and Tony slips down the hallway back toward the bullpen in shock, silence, and deep thought.

Gibbs rounded the corner into the bullpen late one night. "McGee help Abby go threw the computers we found at Fulani's place. I want to know what was on that thing an now"

"Right boss"

"Tony Ziva go over everything again see if missed anything, we may have over looked or discounted there has to more of a trail to follow

"On it boss"

"Barclay"

"Yes Gunny?"

"Your on dinner detail and be quick about it"

"Yes gunny oh its late can I pick up Sully Gunny?"

"He'll be out of the way I just can't leave him alone for this long"

"Go already I'm hungry"

An hour later Jonathan returned with two large brown bags. Ziva is distracted by the smell of her dinner when she feels her foot get stepped on under her desk.

"What the"

"Oh that would be Sully my British bulldog. Be careful he'll lick you death if you let him"

"He's adorable"

"Didn't peg you for the dog type Officer David"

"I like dogs" Sully curls up at her feet as Ziva slips her foot out of her shoe and proceeds to rub Sully belly as he lays across the bullpen floor. She got to watch the first sign that he was more then to this dedicated Marine then going after his target. She saw the first signs of life within her mysterious Lieutenant.

The team sat in the bullpen each off in there own little worlds.

"Well would you look at that"

"What Probie found another cyber girlfriend who's a man in Minnesota?"

"No these two right here"

Tony turned to see Ziva and Jonathan doing they exact same thing cleaning there guns with methodical care and attention to detail

"Does this bother McGee" Jonathan said pulling the bolt back on his M4 and then letting go allowing it to chamber a round/

"NO lieutenant not all its fine"

"I've had this M4 since I left boot camp. The bond between a Marine and his rifle is a scared thing you wouldn't understand"

"An Ziva"

"It clams me down and focuses me"

"So Tony who do you think could clean there weapon the fastest? Ziva or The Lieutenant?"

"Oh probie my money is on Ziva by a few seconds"

"Is it DiNozzo"? Gibbs rounds the corner into the bullpen coffee in hand

"Sorry boss"

The distraction of Gibbs walking in had granted them time to look up from their respective weapons to look up at each other. The moment was sweat for the two of them. The first sign of something in common.

"Grab your gear were staking out a house that could have Fulani held up in. Tony you're with me. McGee I need you to be my eyes in M TAC and Barclay Ziva if he's there I need to you ready to take him down for good"

They staked out a nice normal unassuming house in a suburb of metropolitan DC. Jonathan and Ziva sat quietly both posed to spring into action at the fist sign of Fulani.

"He's here I can feel it"

"Can you now?"

"Call it a gut feeling. He wont get away again." Jonathan sat with this M4 in his lap

"Did you finish cleaning your M4?'

"Yep this M4 has never let me down and it wont now"

"Your awfully full of yourself?"

"Once I get him I can go back to my unit in Iraq an I can kiss NCIS goodbye"

"Is it so horrible for you to be here?"

"It's not were I belong, you must of figured that out by now"

"You couldn't be persuaded to stay?"

There came along awkward pause as the words Ziva said rang in his ears.

"I gotta call Abby she's going to have to dog sit again for me"

Long slow hours past with nothing to do but count cars and drink coffee hah done little to lesson the tension between them. Ziva was trying to think of ways to break the ice between them but she was trying to balance her Mossad training that told her to keep digging and what she had learned during her time at NCIS.

"How long have you had Sully?"

"I got him as a puppy when I saw a teenager. Had him since I was 13 and I'm 25 now. He's great dog, snores though."

"Una he's cute"

"Cute you wake up next to 80 pound snoring drooling bulldog and then you can call it cute"

She thought to herself you've never woken up next to Tony. Then she pushed too much

"Why do you clutch your dog tags when you're nervous? I noticed once there's another dog tag around your neck not just yours"

"Hey Gibbs can we breach already I'm tired of waiting?"

His look turned from that of ready anticipation to being agonied and nervous. She had pushed him too far to fast, and now he recoiled back into himself. She had done nothing to help her cause.

The eventually came with little fan fair or reward. They found nothing it was another dead end crime scene to process. They were out of leads to follow Fulani had disappeared again and it appeared for good. Disgruntled they return to the office.

"Are you canceling the investigation Director?"

"NO I'm putting this team onto a new assignment since this case has gone cold"

"You can't do that Sir"

"As director of NCIS yes I very well can and have"

"Then if your not going to continue to pursue Fulani, Then can I return to Iraq?"

"Your request is denied Lieutenant"

"Why on what grounds do you have to keep me here?"

"Your transfer paperwork says your mission is complete when Fulani is brought to justice, and he hasn't been now has he ?"

"Director I"

"YOU will do your job in the conduct that befits a Marine Corp Officer or I'll bring you up on charges of dereliction of duty. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir"

"Gibbs if there anymore problems with the lieutenants attitude let me know"

"Of course director Vance"

The director turns and heads back up stairs to her office. Gibbs climbs right into Barclay face.

"My office now!" the two of them walk to the elevator. The doors closing is followed by a loud thud of something hitting the wall inside the elevator

"If you ever pull that shit in my presence again so help me Lieutenant I'll break your neck"

"What am I suppose to do here gunny answer me that. I'm not a trained NCIS agent; I'm a grunt from an educated family that got picked to do a job I had no Idea how to do and it lead to Fulani escaping.

"Shut up I read your case files, if it wasn't for you we wouldn't have Fulani's name just a shadow to chase after. Yeah you're not formally trained for this but you've got what it takes to do this job and well if you get it a chance. You think by not being in Iraq what your useless Marine?"

"I know where I belong gunny and its' not here at NCIS

Gibbs throws a quick punch dropping Barclay to the floor again.

"Say that again and I'm not gonna give you another love tap. Next time I'll really hit you. Your choice is simply stand up and do something with your skills or lay on that floor and feel sorry for yourself" Gibbs out stretches his hand.

"I don't know how to be an NCIS agent I'm just a grunt"

"Well then be glad you're with somebody who stared out in the same way. Now choose Jonathan!"

The doors open to everyone in the bullpen staring into the elevator.

"Now go see Ducky and get cleaned up

"Yes Gunny"

"An what are you people staring at get back to work"


End file.
